If you've been procrastinating your purchase of Lollapalooza tickets this year, you're too late. The seventh annual concert festival in Chicago's Grant Park sold out on Friday, according to promoter C3 Presents.
That means 90,000 people will attend each day of the three-day festival, Aug. 5-7, for a record total of 270,000. Last year's top attendance was 240,000.
Amazing stuff and honestly its surprising to us. Although the festival is a great time and the location can't be beat for a music festival, it appears to have a weaker line-up than normal (in our opinion). Obviously that's not stopping a ton of people from coming down to Grant Park and the Sloop for three days of good times and amazing people watching:
That's more than worth the price of admission.
Anyway, if you're going who are you excited to see?
28 comments:
I'm going and I'm so excited to see Foster the People and Young the Giant...not to mention Girl Talk. Can't wait!!
Yuck. Another excuse for suburbanites who act like idiots to invade the hood. Maybe some of the homeless/vagrants can pee on some of those hippy teens. Who knows we are also due for one of those spiffy flash mobs from our neighbors to our south and west.
I'm excited to see KISS.
Not thrilled with increasing expansion of the Lolla grounds from year to year. This year, they're shutting down Grant Bark Park, the dog park at 11th and Columbus, despite the fact that no Lolla events are occurring there. (It's not even being used for staging.)
The traffic is absolutely terrible along Roosevelt towards LSD.
But I guess that comes with the territory. Oh well.
Maybe the President will do us a favor and have them close off LSD for another hour right at rush hour again too.
God, everyone complains about a 3-day event that, while inconveniencing us a bit, also brings the city millions in revenue from the festival itself not to mention the tourism dollars. We should be proud that this festival calls Chicago home year after year.
"God, everyone complains about a 3-day event that, while inconveniencing us a bit, also brings the city millions in revenue from the festival itself not to mention the tourism dollars. We should be proud that this festival calls Chicago home year after year."
Uhhh...http://m.wbez.org/blog/jim-derogatis/2011-08-02/rahm-city-will-review-lollapalooza-tax-exemption-90008
Money shot: "According to former Chicago Park District Superintendent Tim Mitchell, the cost to “rent” all of Grant Park for a weekend would be about $2 million; Lollapalooza pays nothing. The amount of taxes it should be paying the city is more than $1 million."
1009: I noticed this too and find it to be disturbing too. Before its all said and done they'll have fences all the way up to Michigan Ave, Randolph and Roosevelt...
Yeah, lighten up people. You hate even hearing about crime and you don't understand large events in the city. Sounds like you should move. I heard Dubuque, IA has jobs, no flash mobs, and no traffic.
Quit bitching and have some pride in the place you live. Cry me a god damn river.
Nothing new there with them not paying taxes. Just like any business you want to come to the city, you offer incentives. In this case Lollapalooza has now established themselves in Chicago, and Rahm is going to start charging them. Makes good business sense to me, else they might not be here at all.
I agree the complaints about the crowds, etc. are a little overblown. It's only three days. However, it does set a bad precedent. The tax situation is troubling, although Lolla cut a deal to give a portion of ticket sales to the Chicago Parkways Foundation. Jim DeRogatis goes into the issue here:
http://www.wbez.org/blog/jim-derogatis/2011-08-01/does-lollapalooza-hort-chicago-89911
He says they gave them $2.17 million last year. But it's a thorny situation, just the whole deal, because of (shock!) the cozy deal Daley cut with them .. the foundation is rife with Daley cronies .... the usual Daley-era clout came into play.
Cry me a river? You are either a woman who grew up listening to Justin Timberlake or a senior citizen.
How about you go live in a communist country where you just blindly accept the fact that you have no control over anything. This may be a dumb blog but it is one that our alerdman's office reads. You are like that guy in the soviet union who is just happy to finally be wearing a pair of jeans and listen to Madonna albums eight years after they came out.
I think its time for those people complaining about the inconvenience of Lollaplooza to move to the suburbs where nothing changes and things move at a snails pace. You'll find plenty of parking and spots to walk your dog there. I hear Sun City in Huntley is a great place for people who have given up on life.
Anon @ 5:48: Why don't you grow a pair and come out from behind the Anon label?
Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Just because you are willing to accept crime and other intrusions into our neighborhood doesn't mean the rest of have to! As it has been pointed out, this even pays nothing, nada, zilch, in taxes for the privilege to fence of nearly all of Grant Park. In the mean time, I'm gonna keep "bitching" as much as I want to, if you don't like it then don't read the comments...
"Uhhh...http://m.wbez.org/blog/jim-derogatis/2011-08-02/rahm-city-will-review-lollapalooza-tax-exemption-90008
Money shot: "According to former Chicago Park District Superintendent Tim Mitchell, the cost to “rent” all of Grant Park for a weekend would be about $2 million; Lollapalooza pays nothing. The amount of taxes it should be paying the city is more than $1 million."
This is a bit misleading. While there is a large tax exemption, there is still the large amount of tourism dollars being poured into the city of Chicago and especially the Sloop. Also, Lollapalooza still pays the city for the extra police officers, traffic workers, and fees to rent Grant Park itself. Also, don't forget about the revenue and taxes generated for sales at food and alcohol vendors inside the event.
I won't be attending the event, but I think it's a great thing for Chicago. 90,000 people need to eat, sleep and entertain themselves, and they're going to go home with a lot less money than they came here with.
To SouthLoopScot,
What does an anonymous ID have to do with anything? Nobody wants crime or intrusions in their neighborhood, but there is a certain level of expectation that is required of someone living in the city. You can't live in the city and not expect traffic, loud noises, and crime. Also, callied Lolla. an intrusion is a bit much don't you think? By that argument you would consider Bears' games an intrusion too right? This is not the suburbs. You do not have a right to everything that happens in a public park.
You do realize the hypocrisy of your comment don't you? You are scolding Anom. 5:48 for complaining in the comments section, and yet that is exactly what you are doing now and vow to do in the future.
Oh, and be nice. Nobody likes a bully.
So that youtube video is about from 2 years ago, right? Well, I saw that same guy at Wicker Park Fest a week ago. How did I know it was him? He was wearing the same damn shirt except it has far many more squares cut into it. He had glitter on his face and was leading an epic hackey sack circle in the same bandana to boot. It is now twice as frightening that this meth-genius is still kickin.
So that youtube video is about from 2 years ago, right? Well, I saw that same guy at Wicker Park Fest a week ago. How did I know it was him? He was wearing the same damn shirt except it has far many more squares cut into it. He had glitter on his face and was leading an epic hackey sack circle in the same bandana to boot. It is now twice as frightening that this meth-genius is still kickin.
For three days Chicago becomes the music epicenter of the country. There is residual tax income from the event that benefits the city.
If Chicago doesn't offer the tax break the event goes to San Francisco where they are willing to give tax breaks. Just as Chicago is competing with other cities for conventions, this is no different.
If you hate it that much spend the weekend in Naperville. I heard they have two Trader Joes there.
Considering there are hundreds of sloop families living in the "non-projects" along of the Cermak corridor who don't pay a penny in taxes (and haven't done so for generations, and will most likely never do so in the future), I don't see why there is so much haten' on a music fest that generates millions for the city via countless other revenue streams (parking, dining, hotels, shops, exposure, etc.).
Maybe you should redirect your anger at the Link-card carrying, section-eight, welfare do-nothings who add absolutely nothing to society.
How is anon 5:48 a communist? Does Justin Timberlake still sing?
Why are people complaining about this event? That ridiculous.
So yeah I agree cry me a river. Its an expression numb nuts!
This festival is a major "get" for chicago and the city was very wise to do all it could to secure chicago as the exclusive home of Lolla. This festival brings in music acts and music lovers from all over the planet. People who would have otherwise never come to middle America. This fest is a huge deal within the "creative arts community" and really puts chicago at the center of the music world for three days every year as press from all over the globe converge on the city.
Lastly, it always shocks me how 90,000 coldplay fans can exist in peace in Grant Park while 9 JaRule fans can't get together on a street corner in Englewood without someone leaving in a body bag.
It amazes me how there is literally is no topic on this blog that doesn't prompt the trolls to bring up Englewood. It's embarrassing to the neighborhood to have such borderline racist and plain racist and ignorant comments made.
And Anon @8:24 pm, is it also a major "get" to have a Lolla deal that's larded with Daley cronyism and sweetheart deals that is also an impediment to the local music scene (which contributes way more economically) because the Lolla contract prevents acts appearing there from performing in local venues for a long period of time?
You think local music benefits the city more than lollapalooza?
Im not disagreeing but where is the logic in this and in what way?
Sweetheart deals and cronyism... oh boy! Daley is gone can we let it go? Tax breaks are nothing new in attracting businesses and events.
this sums it up pretty well
http://www.wbez.org/blog/jim-derogatis/2011-08-08/demand-builds-probe-lolla-sweetheart-deal-90218
also, you have to consider that while the fest only lasted three days, it will be weeks if not months before the public (the taxpayers who pay for Grant Park) will be able to fully use it again because of the extensive damage done. Take a walk through Grant Park today and tell me if the sweetheart deal Lolla got is worth it. Sure the promoters pay to fix the damage, but Chicago loses the loss of that part for a good chunk of the year.
Great article! I think it still doesnt detail how the festival is bad for the city, as the city receives money. The issue is the city should receive more money! Fair enough! Instead of denouncing the entire festival lets renegotiate the profit share.
From Reverb Magazines Review of Lolla:
"The strangest: A 50-something year old man dressed in a fish net shirt and combat boots started a mud-soaked dance party with a group of teenage girls, complete with flips, twirls, and occasional break dancing … at Lykke Li."
Meth-head Mike (we shall name him) lives on!
Oh and to that obvious renter or at least new resident to the neighborhood that is telling us steadfasters to move to IA, maybe you should just go ahead and pitch a tent in Times Square-- clearly you want the attention. Most of us moved here for the quiet access to the city and Loop for work. We like our community; maybe you should move back to wherever you came from, you are driving the prices up at the bars.
Wicker Park is doing great at overcharging for everything these days; the rent is obnoxious; and all the culture has been squeezed out by kids pretending to be real and "poor" on their parents dime .... you'll LOVE it.
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